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猫māo

Character evolution

猫

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Simplified · Today

Shuowen

猫. The character is a later creation, not found in Shang oracle bones, but it appears in later bronze and script forms. It combines the animal radical 豸 (or 犬) representing a four-legged beast, with the phonetic 苗, giving the sound māo. The character denotes the small feline that was domesticated later in Chinese history.

Pinyin

māo· HSK 1